By Saheed Afolabi
Nigeria forward Sadiq Umar has expressed his frustration with his lack of playing time at Real Sociedad and has called for more opportunities to prove himself on the pitch.
Umar joined Real Sociedad from Almería in 2022, but a career-threatening knee cruciate ligament injury sidelined him for the entire 2022/2023 season.
Despite recovering and working hard to regain full fitness, the 27-year-old has struggled to secure a regular spot in the starting lineup.
The lanky striker voiced his disappointment with his treatment at the club, even though he feels he is putting in the necessary effort to earn a starting position.
Umar is determined to push through this challenge and is focused on regaining his best form.
“I just need continuity and that does not depend on me. I’m training well, I’m more than a professional now and that other part doesn’t depend on me,” Sadiq told El Desmarque.
“The only thing I can do is keep pushing and keep training hard and, when I have continuity, it will be time to prove it.”
Sadiq scored three goals in 26 league appearances last season, but he has yet to find the back of the net in six matches this term.
Despite his lack of goals, he remains optimistic and is committed to working hard for his chance to contribute more to the team.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
